This is the first Round of 16 match in Republic FC history as the club had previously not made it past the Fourth Round in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Republic FC advanced to the Round of 16 with a 4-1 victory over Real Salt Lake (MLS) on Jun. 14. LA Galaxy advanced with a 3-1 victory over Orange County SC on Jun. 14.

Republic FC enter the match on a four match win streak in all competitions dating back to their 4-1 win over Real Salt Lake. Republic FC have outscored their opponents 15-6 during the win streak and have scored three or more goals in three of the four matches. A large part of Republic FC’s run of good form has been the balance of their offense. During the run, Republic FC have seen eight players score and seven players record assists.

Forwards Trevin Caesar and Wilson Kneeshaw have stood out during the win streak combining for six goals and five assists. Caesar has scored five of those goals, including the club’s second-ever USL hat trick against Rio Grande Valley FC Toros on Jun. 21. Caesar is tied for the club-lead in USL goals with five. Kneeshaw has three of the five assists, propelling him to the club-lead in USL assists with four.

Midfielders Tyler Blackwood, Agustin Cazarez and Jeremy Hall have also assisted in the scoring efforts, combining for six goals and three assists during the win streak. Cazarez and Hall have both scored multiple goals in a season for the first time in their careers. Cazarez has also recorded assists in back-to-back matches for the first time in his career.

LA Galaxy enter the match in 6th place in the MLS Western Conference standings, having steadily moved up the table with only a single loss in their last nine MLS matches. The Galaxy won only two of their first seven matches under new head coach Curt Onalfo, but have since rebounded.

Onalfo took over the MLS side following Bruce Arena’s appointment as U.S. Men’s National Team Head Coach. Onalfo led LA Galaxy II to a 41-25-20 record from 2014-2017, the second best record of any USL club in that span, trailing only Republic FC’s 44-21-21 record.

The Galaxy have seen many Los Dos players move up to the MLS side since the USL side’s creation in 2014. Fourteen former Los Dos and current Galaxy players have faced Republic FC in the past including Hugo Arellano, Bradley Diallo, Clement Diop, Rafael Garcia, Bradford Jamieson IV, Ariel Lassiter, Jack McBean, Raul Mendiola, Dave Romney, Brian Rowe, Nathan Smith, Daniel Steres, Jose Villarreal and Jaime Villarreal. Steres, Romney, Smith, Garcia, Diallo and McBean have all seen significant MLS minutes with the Galaxy this season and could see action against Republic FC in the Open Cup match.